Schisgal, Murray
SCHISGAL, MURRAY
SCHISGAL, MURRAY (1926– ), U.S. playwright. Schisgal was born in New York. His initial intention was to become a lawyer, and he did receive an LL.B. from Brooklyn Law School in 1953. Schisgal's first successful stage hit was the double bill The Typists and The Tiger (1963), which starred Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson. This was followed by his biggest hit comedy, Luv (1964), which was nominated for two Tony Awards – Best Play and Best Author. It was later made into a motion picture starring Jack Lemmon and Peter Falk (1967). Schisgal also wrote the play Jimmy Shine (1968), which starred Dustin Hoffman. Schisgal's other Broadway plays included The Chinese and Dr. Fish (1970), An American Millionaire (1974), Allover Town (1975), and Twice around the Park (1983). He also wrote the plays Ducks and Lovers (1972), Popkins (1984), and Oatmeal and Kisses (1990).
With Larry *Gelbart he co-wrote the screenplay for Tootsie (1982), for which they received an Oscar nomination. He also produced the films Boys and Girls (2000) and A Walk on the Moon (1999).
Schisgal was nominated for an Emmy award for his tv productions The Devil's Arithmetic (1999) and A Separate Peace (2004). Schisgal's novel Days and Nights of a French Horn Player was published in 1980.
[Jonathan Licht /
Ruth Beloff (2nd ed.)]